Another trial delay in the man accused of ramming his boat into a B.C. houseboat

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – There is yet another delay in the already slow pace of legal proceedings against a man charged in a fatal boat crash on Shuswap Lake more than three years ago.

The criminal negligence trial of Celista, B.C., resident Leon Reinbrecht was slated to begin this week in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops.

Instead, a change of counsel is underway and Kamloops lawyer Ken Walker, who was representing Reinbrecht, estimates it could stall the trial for another month.

Walker already told the court he might apply to have the case thrown out because of time delays.

Reinbrecht was charged after a five metre speedboat rammed into a houseboat on Shuswap Lake at the end of the July 2010 Canada Day weekend fireworks display.

The impact embedded the small runabout completely inside the houseboat cabin, killing 53-year-old houseboat owner Ken Brown and injuring eight of the 16 people aboard both vessels.